Spider-Man has been my favorite superhero since I was a kid.
He was the first comic-book hero I followed, and I collected every single one
of his books until I stopped reading comics (at some point in the 90s). So,
I’ve felt a great attachment to the character, and the movies --even when I
didn’t like them. But it’s been years since I watched most of them (I returned
to SPIDER-MAN 2 several times over the years, though).
Leading up to SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING I decided to re-watch
all the previous Spider-Man movies:
Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN (2002), SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004),
SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007); and Marc Webb’s THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012) and 2014
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (2014).
Because they were fresher in my mind and essentially reboots of the series, I decided to tackle Marc Webb’s versions first. I knew I hadn’t liked either movie but was willing to give them a shot anyway since one’s opinion can be influenced by a moment in time (or other people’s opinions). Below are my reactions to each movie (I watched them all over several days), including SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (which I just returned from seeing for the first time).
Because they were fresher in my mind and essentially reboots of the series, I decided to tackle Marc Webb’s versions first. I knew I hadn’t liked either movie but was willing to give them a shot anyway since one’s opinion can be influenced by a moment in time (or other people’s opinions). Below are my reactions to each movie (I watched them all over several days), including SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (which I just returned from seeing for the first time).
Marc Webb’s THE
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2012)
I found myself bored throughout most of this movie. Unlike
many people I know, I am not a big fan of origin stories. I don’t need to see
how someone came to be the hero, and this movie decided to cover an origin
story I knew all too well –considering Raimi did it only 10 years earlier.
Sometimes a movie gets the origin story right (IRON-MAN and WONDER WOMAN come to
mind) but once we get to the second movie, I tend to feel I don’t need to
return to the first (as you will soon see, maybe I should change that opinion).
There are some fun Spidey moments that felt like the
comic-book version, perhaps more so than Raimi’s Spider-Man, but so much of the
atmosphere in this movie is dark and too… cool. This is not Peter Parker at
all. Over the years I’ve heard many people praise Andrew Garfield’s acting in
these movies and re-watching them I don’t see it. Is he a terrific actor? Yes.
I think he’s turning into one of the best of his generation. He had a great
2016 and I’ve gotten to see an early cut of his next movie (I’m not allowed to
say much) and I think he only solidifies his greatness in it. But he does not
deliver the Peter Parker from the comic-books. Webb doesn’t make him a goofy
nerd like Raimi did. He makes him kind of a cool guy… way too cool for Peter
Parker. And I respect a director’s artistic freedom but I don’t have to like
it. There are a handful of excellent acting moments for Garfield but not once
did I feel like I was watching him channeling Peter Parker.
His Spider-Man is better at times than Tobey Maguire’s –more
talkative and jokey, like in the comics- but at least Maguire’s entire
portrayal of Spidey is consistent with his Peter Parker. And, as I’ll mention
in a bit, re-watching the Sam Raimi version after Webb’s was an eye-opener.
Unfortunately, we get a lot of Peter Parker not working for me and not a lot of
Spider-Man. I didn’t hate the movie but I will never watch it again… unless
someone pays me a lot of money.
Marc Webb’s THE
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (2014)
I saw this movie once, in theater, and swore I’d never watch
it again. Obviously, I didn’t follow through on that promise, but as with Webb’s
first, I feel confident saying I will definitely never revisit this movie
unless paid large bags of cash. It’s not as terrible as I remember but it falls
apart quickly in the final hour, with one really powerful scene toward the end
that still kind of doesn’t make much sense. There were a lot of good actors in
this movie doing their best… with poor execution to blame for it not working.
Also, why is Peter Parker such a cool guy?! This is not Peter Parker! Oh, I
already said this? Well, he’s even “cooler” in this movie.
Sam Raimi’s
SPIDER-MAN (2002)
I don’t know why but when I originally saw this movie, I
didn’t love it. I remember having a long conversation with a friend about it
after seeing it and I was down on a lot of the beats in the story. I imagine it
was a moment-in-time type of thing but it shaped how I viewed the movie over
the next 15 years. I’ve revisited once since but I don’t remember when and I
don’t remember if I gave it a serious chance to change my mind at the time. And
perhaps it is good I watched Marc Webb’s origin story of Spidey first, because this
time… I found Raimi’s Spidey origin story terrific.
Sure, there are little problems here and there with it –MJ
is kind of stupid and nothing like the character in the comics; Aunt May’s
“yellow eyes” moment is cringe-worthy; and there’s some theatrical acting in
several scenes that doesn’t feel like it belongs in a movie- but overall it’s a
knock-out origin story. Rewatching it, I was reminded of Donner’s SUPERMAN and
the most recent (as of this review) WONDER WOMAN. All three movies are origin
stories with earnest heroes… with directors not afraid to amplify the
genuineness of their journeys.
Sam Raimi’s
SPIDER-MAN 2 (2004)
This movie has remained one of my favorite comic-book movies
since I saw it. Re-watching it, I feel it earned the praise it continues to
receive. This movie has two villains, both who care about Peter on some level;
a great Peter Parker; a wonderful arc for Spider-Man; a plot that builds until
the final moments that pay off beautifully. This is a near-perfect emotional
roadmap for any protagonist’s journey. All the performances are good to great;
every character is developed well (even MJ, who was the one problem in the
first); and the hero vs villains arc feels thought out and earned. The only
flaws I can find are early in the movie and a few gags that don’t really work
for me now (like the elevator scene when Spidey has started to lose his powers).
Sam Raimi’s
SPIDER-MAN 3 (2007)
This was a troubled production. Raimi was
forced to put things into the movie he didn’t want and it shows. It’s too busy;
the characters feel like they've overstayed their welcome; and the villains feel
unfocused. Also, the Peter and MJ relationship is painfully annoying. There are
some terrific scenes that likely would have been better if Raimi had been given
more control, but it now stands as an example of Sony meddling too much.
Jon Watts’ SPIDER-MAN:
HOMECOMING (2017)
Finally someone has made the comic-book version of Peter
Parker AND Spider-Man! Raimi delivered a very good version of Peter Parker.
Webb delivered a closer-to-the-comic version of Spider-Man than Raimi. But
Watts and Tom Holland give us the best version of both. Even if the story doesn’t work as well
as Raimi’s first two, it doesn’t matter since Watts (with many writers) sets the standard for all
future Spider-Man movies with his version of the character.
Sony has finally given up narrative control and it shows.
This movie has the mark of Marvel all over it. There is just enough Tony Stark
to not feel overwhelming. Peter’s school mates are mostly good to excellent. His
best friend feels genuine and not forced. The jokes are, for the most part,
solid and don’t feel tacked on. Spidey’s gadgets are fun. The high school story
lines all feel like something you would have found in the comics. And the
action is fun and exciting… save for one sequence that feels like a
strobe-light of every bad modern-action sequence in every Transformers movie,
but worse. Thankfully, it is the one blemish on this beautiful character piece
that has, arguably, the best final line of any Spider-Man movie (and my
favorite final post-credit scene… because it’s essentially meaningless but
hilarious). Oh and the villain! Marvel gave us a good villain! Though, there is
one story element about the villain I thought felt too… small-world for my
taste. But otherwise, he was great.
Summation
Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN and SPIDER-MAN 2, along with Jon
Watts’ SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING, are fantastic movies in the franchise. The other
three? Thankfully I never have to watch them ever again. I’m officially
retiring from those… unless someone pays me large bags of cash to watch them
again.
